Display-rack



(No Model.)

' M. UMSTADTBR.

DISPLAY RACK. No. 355,733. Patented Jan. 11, 1887.

UNITE STATES MICHAEL UMSTADTER,

brlsPLA SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters or NORFOLK, viRGrNrA.

Y-RACK.

Patent No. 355,733, `elated January 11I les?.

Application filed September 23, 1886. Serial No. 214,318. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, MICHAEL UMs'rADTnR,

- a citizen of the United States, and a resident of 4Norfolkirginia, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Stands or Frames for Exhibiting Fabrics and other Articles; and I hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, `and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereomwhich form a part of this specification.

The object of my invention is to provide a stand or frame upon which different kinds of fabrics or cloth goods can be readily and conveniently exhibited, or on which works of art-such as paintings and engravingscan be placed for exhibition; and it` consists in the Adevice hereinafter described and claimed.

My invention is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l is a side elevation of my exhibitor with certain parts removed; Fig. 2, a front elevation; and Fig. 3 is a View of my preferred form of hook or pin.

The frame of my exhibitor is constructed somewhat in the style of an ordinary easel, having the two upright rods or bars a a, connected at the top by any suitable cross-piece, such as b. The two uprights a, a are also joined rmlyto each other by other crosspieces, c, as desired. As many of these crosspieces c may be used as it is deemed necessary to give the frame of the exhibitor the proper amount of strength. The exhibitor is held in an upright position and at any desired angle by means of the brace d, which is pivoted at its upper end to the frame-uprights in any suitable way. The upright bars a a are grooved,

'as shown in Fig. l, thegrooves in one upright corresponding with the grooves in the other. Each one of these bars ct has a longitudinal groove, e, running along or near the middle of the side of the bar for its entire or almost its entire length, and small grooves or notches j',

perpendi'cularto the long groove and extend,- ing from the long groove to one side of the bar a.

gg are the pins or hooks upon which t he I goods to be exhibited are to be placed.` These hooks are preferably made in the manner shown in Fig. 8, and have their upper inner ends bent, as shown in that ligure. By this lconstruction of the hook the outer end of. its upper arm, t', is braced and supported by the under arm, j, without iilling up much of the space between the adjoining hooks. These hooks are made of such a size that they can be inserted in the grooves'in the bars a a in the manner shown in Fig. l, the upper end fitting into one of the small grooves f and a portion of the longitudinal groove e immediately adjoining, and the lower end of the hook fitting intothe next small groove f, immediately below. When the hooks have been inserted into the grooves in the pieces a, they are fastened and held in their position by means of clamping-strips h, which are adapted to be screwed onto the side of the bars a. vThe bent portion of the hook at its upper and inner end bears against the front and back walls of the groove e, and thus prevents the hook from being pulled out when the strip his in place, or from being moved upwardv or downward, or from being pressed farther into the frame.

By making the groovese run along the middlel of the side of the bar a the groove is made not only to receive the ends of the hooks, but also to engage or clasp those ends between its front and back walls, and thus to hold the hook firmly in its position. Moreover, by this means the ends of the hooks are concealed, and the appearance of the frame thus improved. I

It is evident that the various parts `of my device may be varied in proportion as well as in sizeland number without departing from the principle of my invention. Thus the small grooves f may be made more or less numerous, according to the size of the hook that it is desiredfto use or the variations that it may be the same.

My invention makes it possible to exhibit any number of rows of goods at one and the same time, or to exhibit only one and to'vary the distance between successive pairs of hooks. Vhen' only one pair of hooks is needed, the others can be removed without difculty, and thus make it more convenient to exhibit the goods o n the remaining pair of hooks.

It is also evident that any length of hook can be employed with my device, so that various sets of hooks can be used with one frame, and longer or shorter ones substituted, in acdesired to make inthe height'and position of cordance with the Width or length of the goods to be exhibited. Moreover, my exhibitor is so constructed that the insertion ofthe hooks or pins does not weaken or Wear away thet frame-pieces in any manner, so that the fraine is thus inade very durable. y

Another advantage of my exhibitor is that when it is stored away or shipped from one place to` another it can be very conveniently packed, for the hooks can be first removed, and in this way nearly all the danger of breakage or injury done away with.

My exhibitor can also be used as an easel for exhibiting paintings or for holding "music and for similar purposes.

Any other form of hook or pin can be used with my invention than the one shown, pro vided that it is so shaped asto fit into the grooved barsu a and be held there, as the characteristic feature of iny invention is the grooving of the bars a a, whereby the hooks can be adjustably inserted in those bars and held there.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. A stand or frame for supporting goods, having uprights provided with longitudinal and crosswise grooves to receive and inclose the ends of the hooks or rods for holding the goods,in combination with such hooks or rods, and suitable means for securing the hooks or rods in the grooves, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. A stand or frame for supporting goods, having uprights provided with longitudinal and crosswise grooves to receive and inclose the ends of the hooks or rods for holding the goods, in combination with such hooks or rods and clamping strips to secure the hooks or rodsin the grooves, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

MICHAEL UMSTADTER.

Vitnesses:

ino. Fass, J. H. BRoWNLnY. 

